Lodge Fire shifts east away from Humboldt, for now

The Lodge Fire continues to spread through Mendocino County, but fire officials said Saturday that the blaze seems for the time being to have shifted east, away from Humboldt County.

"There was a time a few days ago where the fire was going north, but then winds from the north and northwest slowed that progression," said Calfire spokesman Jerry Sharp. "Now it seems like the fire is going mostly east, but that could change with the winds because fires are unpredictable like that."

Calfire Pre-Planning Battalion Chief Mark Rodgers said the 7,100-acre fire is currently in the Wilderness Area near Laytonville and south of Leggett, and as of Saturday morning was 30 percent contained. Sharp added there are 58 threatened structures at this point.

"There have been evacuations ordered for a number of areas on the eastern boundary of the fire, including Camp Seabow, Elder Place, Tan Oak Park, Bald Mountain Ranch, Mad Creek and Elk Creek east of Brush Mountain," Rodgers said.

Rodgers added it's difficult to predict where the fire might go at this point.

"Containment, acreage, areas affected, equipment on scene, those are hard facts that I can give you," he said.

Late Friday night, three firefighters from Santa Clara County and five inmate firefighters from Salt Creek Camp, a minimum-security facility in California, received minor to moderate burns while battling the blaze.

The inmate crews work side by side with firefighters and do everything from battling blazes to helping build containment lines, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokeswoman Lynne Tolmachoff said.

"The eight firefighters that received burns are in stable conditions. I want to make that clear," said Sharp, adding the firefighters were injured when the fire made a hard run at the line and jumped it.

The injured firefighters were released early Saturday from the hospital, just hours after being airlifted to the burn center at the University of California, Davis, for treatment, Tolmachoff said.

"They are in good spirits," Tolmachoff said. "Although their injuries were minor, we still take them very seriously."

Rodgers said the fire continues to burn in heavy timber, and firefighters are challenged by steep terrain and difficult access.

The blaze, which was started by lightning on Wednesday, has charred more than 11 square miles, according to officials.

Sharp said there are a number of resources battling the blaze, including 49 fire crews, 29 bulldozers, 15 helicopters, 29 water tenders and 1,950 total personnel.

"Crews have a lot of bulldozers along the ridge and the southwest edge of the fire is controlled for the most part, but they're continuing to watch it," Sharp said. "They have also done some back burns in some areas. Our biggest issue in fighting the fire is that it's staying hot and dry, and the terrain is steep and nasty with difficult access."